Book mailer construction



, Feb.27,1968 HLLEV, 7 3,370,777

BOOK MAILER CONSTRUCTION Filed May 9. 1966 I 2 Sheets-Shet 1 IN VENTOR BY j jrmw s Feb. 27, 1968 H. L. LEVI BOOK MAILER CONSTRUCTION Fild May 9; 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR Hans Len BY W WM 5 United States Patent Office 3,370,777 BOOK MAILER CONSTRUCTION Hans L. Levi, 432 Park Ave., S., New York, N.Y. 10016 Filed May 9, 1966, Ser. No. 548,505 8 Claims. (Cl. 229-40) This invention relates generally to paperboard containers and more particularly to new 'and useful improvements in a carton or folder preferably constructed from a single blank or a pair of blanks which carton is especially suitable for mailing articles, such as books.

Until now, book mailing cartons of the pleated recessed end construction, usually made of one-piece blanks, and suitable for machine-loading and closing, did not provide a means for positive longitudinal location of the book while the carton was in an expanded condition. Consequently, upon compressing of the carton in the cartoner, the top or bottom edges of the book would frequently interefere with the collapsing recessed end webs causing stoppage of the machine or an improperly closed carton.

his the purpose of this invention to overcome this disadvantage, as well as others described hereafter.

Another important object of this invention, facilitated by the herein described construction, is an extremely easy opening and re-closing means of said mailing c'arton without damaging it in any manner, permitting re-use.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a rectangularly-shaped tubular carton with one end flap releasably secured in a fixed position along one short edge of the carton, while the diagonally opposite short edge is permanently and fixedly joined, thus creating two positive longitudinal corner-stops for the book, with the other two diagonally opposed short edges comprising hinges and therefore facilitating enlargement of the carton side openings to permit easy loading of the carton.

Another object of the invention is to provide a carton or folder of tubular formation for mailing books which has flaps closing both ends, the flap at one end being releasably secured along the end of one panel by a seam of chain stitching, one end of said row of chain stitching being exposed for grasping by the fingers of the hand of the user permitting easy opening of the carton, the flap at the other end being secured by adhesive or stapling along the edge diagonally opposed to said one edge 5..- cured by the chain stitch seam.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a carton or folder for mailing books that is simple and rugged in construction and that can be manufactured and sold at a reasonable cost.

For further comprehension of the invention and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description 'and accompanying drawings and to the appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

FIGURE 1 is a top perspective view of a carton embodying the invention, with a book enclosed therein.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the blank sections from which the carton of FIG. 1 is made.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the plane of the line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken on the plane of the line 44 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of one end of the carton in open position, a book being shown in position subsequent to removal by recipient, and

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of the carton in an expanded position.

Referring now in detail to the various views of the drawings, in FIG. 1 there is shown a carton embodying the invention which is designated generally at 10. The carton 19 is comprised of a flat tubular body composed of a suitable paperboard material having a pair of parallel walls or panels 12 and 14 forming the top and bottom walls, respectively, of the carton, opposite end walls such as end wall 16 and opposite side walls such as side wall 18. Each of the end walls 16 is recessed or offset inwardly relative to the edges 20 of the tubular body and is hingedly associated with the walls 12 and 14 along two diagonally opposite of said edges 20, while at the other two diagonally opposed edges 24) of the carton, the end walls are immovably attached to walls 12 and 14 by a surface to surface joining operation accomplished by gluing, stapling or sewing, thus permitting expansion of the end wall structure as shown in FIG. 6 while simultaneously creating positive longitudinal stops at 59 and 60. At a preliminary assembly stage, the side walls of the carton are open, so as to permit insertion of an article between the walls 12 and 14 comfortably and in longitudinally fixed position. The recessed or inwardly collapsible offset end walls 16 are not only intended to provide the end closure means for the tubular body so as to engage an article such as a book 22 located in the carton, with said article being protected by the outwardly protruding corners 2A) of the tubular body during mailing or shipment of the carton 16, but they provide, in addition, the means for positive longitudinal location of the book until the closing of the side walls is accomplished.

With particular reference to FIG. 2, the carton 10 preferably can be assembled from a pair of blanks 26 and 28 of paperboard material, such as corrugated board, pressed board or the like which may be stamped or die-cut advantageously from a continuous web of sheet material passed at high speed through automatic punch press equipment. Each blank 26 and 28 consists of a rectangular panel 3i), with side flaps 32 hinged along the long edges thereof anddefined by the fold lines 34,34 extending the length of the. panel. The flaps 32, 32 of blank 26 or blank 28 may have a coating of adhesive 36 on one surface thereof, or such adhesive may be applied in the final assembly stage, to permit sealing of the side walls.

At opposite ends of each of the blanks 26 and 28, there is an integral flap or web formation 33 hinged to the panel 30 by a hinge line 39 divided by transverse fold lines 49 and 42 into an inner section 44, an outer section 46 and an intermediate section 48.

Sections 44 and 46 are substantially similar in width and the median section 48 corresponds in width with the height of the enclosed article. The outer flap section 46 of blank 26 has a coating of adhesive 52 on one surface thereof, the bottom surface as viewed in FIG. 2. Similarly the panel 30 of blank 28 has a coating of adhesive 54 across the surface of section 46, the top surface as viewed in FIG. 2. Instead of adhesive, staples or a sewing seam may be used for connecting the two blanks.

The carton 16 is assembled by superimposing blank 26 on 28, and afiixing the two blanks to each other in the areas and by the means indicated. Thus the panel 30 of blank 28 becomes the top wall and the panel 30 of the blank 26 becomes the bottom wall of the carton it By moving the blanks 26 and 28 in a diagonal direction toward each other, the end flaps 38, 38 will be erected into an approximately vertical direction to the top and bottom walls. The end flaps 38 will pivot on the fold line 39 so that the sections 44 will form changeable angles with the panels 36 and the sections 46 will remain permanently parallel and fixedly attached to panels 30. The side flaps 32 of blank 26 can be brought together face to face with the side flaps 32 of blank 28 and the flaps can be secured by pressing them together so as to be adhered by the adhesive 36.

Patented Feb. 27, 1968 The blanks 26 and 28 have thus been formed into a closed container or carton. In use, the book 22 will be inserted into the container or carton while open at the sides and the package closed as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.

In accordance with the present invention, the section 46 can be releasably secured to the top or bottom wall by basting the parts together by means of a row of chain stitches 56, with one end 58 of the thread protruding, adapted to be grasped'by the fingers of the hand of the user.

By reason of this construction, the top wall and end closure at one edge, the left hand top edge as viewed in FIG. 1, are fixed by stitching; and the bottom wall, andend closure at the corner diagonally opposed thereto, the right hand bottom corner, are fixed together by glue, thereby preventing separation of the panels 30, 30 during transit; the other corners are left free to be flexed and deformed to facilitate insertion of the book.

The carton is easily opened by grasping the end 58 of 'the thread and tearing it along the row of stitching 56 so as to release the section 46 of the end closure from the top wall of the carton and thereupon pulling the entire end closure or flap formation 38 outwardly from between the panels 30, 30 to the open position as shown in FIG. 5.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise construction herein disclosed and that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A shipping folder for a book or similar article, comprising a normally open sided container adapted to have the open sides closed upon the article inserted therein, and the container being formed of a pair of rectangular panels adapted to be spaced one from the other in parallel relation to accommodate such article therebetween, the ends of the container having formations adapted to contact the ends of an article shorter than the folder, each of said panels having parallel side edges and end edges so that there are pairs of each adjacent edges on the sides and ends of the container, the side edges being provided with.

hinged flaps, the flaps of said side edges being coextensive with the side edges, the flaps of each pair of adjacent side edges being adapted to be overlapped and connected, to form the closed sides of the container, each end closure formation being of inwardly collapsing pleat construction, said end formations along one of their end edges being hingedly connected each to one of two diagonally opposite end edges of said panels; and being secured in a fixed face to face position, each to one of the other two 4 diagonally opposite end edges of said panels, along their other end edges, at least one of said other end edges being releasably secured in said fixed face to face position by means adapted to permit easy separation of the surfaces attached to each other.

2. A structure as defined in claim 1, wherein each end formation includes a sectional flap with an inner section, and outer section and an intermediate section.

3. A structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the releasable securement of at least one of said end formations, comprises a row of stitching, one end of the stitching being exposed for releasing the row of stitching.

4. A structure as claimed inclaii'n 1, wherein the fixed securement of at least one of said end formationscorm.

prises adhesive between the panel and end formation.v

5. A structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hired securement of at least one of said end formationscom prises a number of metal staples connecting the panel and end formation.

6. A structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the releasable securement of one of said end formations com-. prises a row of stitching through the end formation and adjacent wall of the carton, one end of the stitching being exposed for releasing the row of stitching, the fixed securement of said other of said end formations comprising adhesive between the panel and other end formation.

7. A structure as claimed in claim 6, comprising a number of metal staples connecting the'panels and end formations.

8. A structure as claimed in claim 6, wherein the row of stitching secures one edge of the carton at one end thereof, the adhesive secures the edge diagonally opposed to the secured edge at the other end of'the carton to prevent separation of the top and bottom walls of the carton, the other diagonal edges of the carton being freeto.

facilitate separation of thewalls of the carton for insertion of the article to be enclosed. 7

References Cited DAVIS T. MOORHEAD, Primary Examiner. 

1. A SHIPPING FOLDER FOR A BOOK OR SIMILAR ARTICLE, COMPRISING A NORMALLY OPEN SIDED CONTAINER ADAPATED TO HAVE THE OPEN SIDES CLOSED UPON THE ARTICLE INSERTED THEREIN, AND THE CONTAINER BEING FORMED OF A PAIR OF RECTANGULAR PANELS ADAPTED TO BE SPACED ONE FROM THE OTHER IN PARALLEL RELATION TO ACCOMMODATE SUCH ARTICLE THEREBETWEEN, THE ENDS OF THE CONTAINER HAVING FORMATIONS ADAPTED TO CONTACT THE END OF AN ARTICLE SHORTER THAN THE FOLDER, EACH OF SAID PANELS HAVING PARALLEL SIDE EGES AND END EDGES SO THAT THERE ARE PAIRS OF EACH ADJACENT EDGES ON THE SIDES AND ENDS OF THE CONTAINER, THE SIDE EGES BEING PROVIDED WITH HINGED FLAPS, THE FLAPS OF SAID SIDE EDGES BEING COEXTENSIVE WITH THE SIDE EDGES, THE FLAPS OF EACH PAIR OF ADJACENT SIDE EDGES BEING ADAPTED TO BE OVERLAPPED AND CONNECTED, TO FORM THE CLOSED SIDES OF THE CONTAINER, EACH END CLOSURE FORMATION BEING OF INWARDLY COLLAPSING PLEAT CONSTRUCTION, SAID END FORMATIONS ALONG ONE OF THEIR END EDGES BEING HINGEDLY CONNECTED EACH TO ONE OF TWO DIAGONALLY OPPOSITE END EDGES OF SAID PANELS; AND BEING SECURED IN A FIXED FACE TO FACE POSITION, EACH TO ONE OF THE OTHER TWO DIAGONALLY OPPOSITE END EDGES OF SAID PANELS, ALONG THEIR OTHER END EDGES, AT LEAST ONE OF SAID END EDGES BEING RELEASABLY SECURED IN SAID FIXED FACE TO FACE POSITION BY MEANS ADAPTED TO PERMIT EASY SEPARATION OF THE SURFACES ATTACHED TO EACH OTHER. 